Jerry wrote:

But, it is precisely because folks would switch to Linux that you will never see a native Linux version of VFP.

Hi Jerry,

I have to agree. By porting VFP to Linux Microsoft would increase VFP revenues, but Microsoft would loss many desktop OS to Linux with an overall revenue reduction effect.

Based on Microsoft M O, I expect Microsoft to eventually rebuild everything around C#. Microsoft's first operating system was MS DOS. From it they introducted C++ on which they built their Windows OS. Then from C++ they began developing other products like excel, word, office, etc. This continued until all Microsoft products were based on C++ including VFP, VB, VS, etc. The term dog fooding was canned around this concept meaning you produce your own dog food and then eat it yourself.

The dog fooding technique has been very successful for Microsoft, so I expect it to continue. Maybe someday all operating system will have a .net layer on which you can run any Microsoft product including C#. However, you can never be sure what the future holds, but it always turns out to be different than anyone expects.

If Microsoft becomes to monopolistic, it may have to be broken up to restore a free competitive environment. There has always been fierce competition amount communication carriers (e.g. AT&T, Sprint, Bell, etc) until Bell won out and finally had to be split up to restore a free compititive market. At least I think is was Bell. Undoubtedly Bell would have perferred this to being regulated by the Fed to insure its pricing maintained some relationship to how much it costs to produce the service. I still hear some debate today about whether the split up was a good thing or a bad thing, but I think anything that gurantees a free, open, competitive environment is a good thing.